Mauricio Pochettino gave an explanation on Sunday evening for the choice to sign Lionel Messi early. The Argentine coach in the duel with Olympique Lyon (2-1) made a base for his compatriot, who was then replaced by Achraf Hakimi fifteen minutes before the final signal at a 1-1 score. The substitution sparked anger from the attacker, who refused to shake his coach’s hand and went straight to the bench.
After the end of the game, Pochettino appeared at the press conference, where he was logically asked about his motives behind the substitution of Messi. After all, it was Messi’s anger that was the main topic of conversation afterwards, not the late win in the top-flight. “We have made the decision to avoid a possible injury in the future,” Pochettino said.
“Very important games are coming up and we have to protect him. These are decisions that we make as a team. Everyone knows we have big players in the squad, and we have to make decisions. Sometimes that is positive, and sometimes it is a less appealing decision,” said Pochettino, who also praised his players for their resilience.
“This is a very positive result for us and the team has shown character. But there is still plenty of room for improvement. However, it is difficult, because we want to work extra during the training sessions, but we play a match almost every three days. Our priority is for the players to recover sufficiently, but we definitely need to improve. Lyon is a good team and they have done an excellent job. Still, we should have scored more goals in the second half”, concludes the PSG choice lord.
For a long time it looked as if the top match against Olympique Lyon would end in a 1-1 draw, but in the 93rd minute Mauro Icardi broke the spell on a pass from Kylian Mbappé: 2-1. With eighteen points from six competition matches, PSG is sovereign in the lead in Ligue 1, while the team of trainer Peter Bosz occupies ninth position. Before the Parisians take on Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, September 29, first they will meet FC Metz (next Wednesday) and Montpellier (Saturday).